Egypt Jurassic discovery sets depth marks

By OGJ editorsHOUSTON, Dec. 1 -- IPR Inc., Irving, Tex., gauged a Jurassic oil and gas-condensate discovery at the second deepest well in Egypt's Western Desert.

Zain-1X flowed natural at the rate of 4,664 b/d of 40° gravity oil and 6.97 MMcfd of gas on a 48/64-in. choke with 1,273 psi flowing tubing wellhead pressure on a drillstem test of the Jurassic Lower Safa formation. The DST was run in a 20-ft perforated interval.

Another drillstem test flowed 9.14 MMcfd of gas and 750 b/d of 49° gravity condensate on a 48/64-in. choke from 23 ft of perforations in three commingled Jurassic perforated intervals.

Shallower productive zones were discovered but not tested, and net pay from all prospective intervals exceeded 140 ft, IPR said.

"These additional productive intervals will be evaluated and some of the untested oil intervals may be perforated to commingle" with the Lower Safa interval when production operations begin later this year, the company said.

At TD 17,000 ft, the well is the deepest in the Alamein basin. It is on the Yidma-Alamein Development Lease 130 km southwest of Alexandria.

The easternmost Jurassic oil discovery in the western desert, Zain-1X found hydrocarbons in a four-way dip closure of stacked Jurassic aged source rocks. It set a record for the longest 8½-in. drilling run in Africa using an 8½-in. diamond impregnated bit with a 6-5/8-in. turbine, IPR said.

IPR acquired Phillips Petroleum Co.'s western desert interests in 1993. IPR's partner in the development lease is Sojitz Corp., Tokyo.